Transfer Latest – Man City Close In On Negredo, Chelsea FC Serious About Wayne Rooney

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Alvaro Negredo closes in on a switch to Manchester City from Sevilla. Juan Mata or David Luiz plus £10million = Wayne Rooney? Napoli have confirmed that they are firmly in the chase for Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain and Internacional forward Leandro Damiao. Santi Cazorla might be on his way back to La Liga after just one season at Arsenal.

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Alvaro Negredo closes in on a switch to Manchester City from Sevilla.

Alvaro Negredo

Manchester City have an insatiable hunger for strikers – and Alvaro Negredo is their new target. Rumoured to be priced at around £24.5 million, Negredo, despite being a decent striker, certainly isn’t worth it. Although he has scored 31 times in 42 appearances for Sevilla last season, the price is a little over the top. The Spaniard is a thoroughbred forward, traditional in many aspects – especially in finding the back of the net. Extremely robust, Negredo can play equally well while playing a possession based game and also while playing counter-attacking football. City have offloaded Balotelli last season and Tevez this summer – Negredo will surely be able to bolster the squad. With flair players like Silva, Nasri, Navas behind him, it should not take him long to settle, moreover, he will meet his former teammate Jesus Navas, who moved to City, earlier this summer.

“We are about to complete the sale of Negredo to Manchester City. If all goes well, he will say goodbye this afternoon at the Sanchez Pizjuan,” Jose Maria Del Nido, Sevilla club president.

City’s quest for offensive players don’t end here. If things fall in place, City can expect Negredo to be joined soon by Stevan Jovetic, with negotiations over a £28 million with Fiorentina ongoing. This however spells doom for Edin Dzeko who will certainly go further down the pecking order once these two deals are concluded.

Juan Mata or David Luiz plus £10 million = Wayne Rooney?

Moyes wants to keep Rooney at Old Trafford

Mathematics and common sense just take a backseat when one hears an offer as good as this. And it would be even more stupid to refuse such an offer (if it was really the case). Giving it a thought, a player of the calibre of Juan Mata + 10 million Pounds should ideally be equal to a Wayne Rooney and perhaps a Chicharito. And Moyes’ reported refusal is yet another mystery. Chelsea however, reportedly returned with yet another bid of 22 million pounds – which again was swiftly refused. Gauging by ability, a player like Wayne Rooney can play in any team on the planet. And Chelsea with all their youth and flair in midfield, will just get onto the next level with Wayne on their paylist – they still haven’t found anybody who can take the mantle from Drogba.

Not judging Rooney the player but the offer in itself seems too irresistible. Jose Mourinho’s penchant for physically brutal players is well known and Mata’s becoming of a want-away is still understandable, but not that of David Luiz. The Brazilian is known for his strength, pace and wonderful passing, but he is still not up to the mark when it comes to defending. United, however, have maintained that Rooney isn’t for sale, but other clubs are still persisting for the signature of the English striker.

Napoli have confirmed that they are firmly in the chase for Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain and Internacional forward Leandro Damiao

Napoli reportedly have a huge transfer kitty – €124.5m.

“If we add that €64.5m to the €60m that we had in our budget already then we get €124.5m that Napoli will invest with diligence and experience,” said President Aurelio De Laurentiis

The sale of Edinson Cavani to PSG has given them enough transfer chest to go and bid for the top players in Europe and they are after Arsenal target Gonzalo Higuain, now.

“It’s true, we are in negotiations with Higuain and Damiao,” added De Laurentiis.

They are also on the verge of acquiring the services of Real Madrid defender Raul Albiol. Clearly Napoli is moving towards strengthening themselves on all fronts to break Juve’s hegemony on the domestic front. While a player of Cavani’s calibre cannot be replaced, Higuain and Damiao are good enough to fill the void to a large extent. Napoli have also bought Jose Callejon (from Real Madrid) and Dries Mertens (from PSV Eindhoven) among a host of other players. The addition of Higuain and Damiao will make them a more complete squad under Rafa Benitez.

Santi Cazorla might be on his way back to La Liga after just one season at Arsenal

Reports have emerged that Arsenal midfielder, who had a sensational first season at the Emirates, might just be heading back to Spain. Apparently, Atleti have launched a £17.5million bid on the diminutive Spaniard. The sale of Radamel Falcao to AS Monaco, for £51 million, have given them enough money to bolster the squad. They have already acquired the signature of Spanish striker David Villa for a ridiculously low sum and it is time they sharpen the midfield further to cover for Falcao.

Going back home?

Most of the Arsenal squad is in Vietnam but Cazorla is still back in Europe due to extended leave for taking part in the Confederations Cup. Cazorla was one of the top Arsenal players last season after having scored 12 and setting up 16 and convincing Wenger to part with him and also get into the market to look for a suitable replacement looks like an uphill task. However, after the pursuit of Gonzalo Higuain went haywire, Arsenal are reportedly looking for a star offensive player (read Luis Suarez)and a price tag of £40 million might just force Wenger to sell Cazorla. While Wayne Rooney still remains a target fir Arsenal, his age might just be a matter of concern, as Wenger is well-known for his inclination towards younger players and at 26, Suarez is perhaps moving towards the peak of his abilities, whereas Wayne looks a little past it. Atletico’s idea would just be to take advantage of Arsenal’s pursuit of Luis Suarez.